Amusement-railway.



' No. 678,243. Patented July 9, I901.

E. A. GREEN.

AMUSEMENT RAILWAY.

(Applicatign. filed Mar. 6, 1901'.

(No Model.) '2 Sheets-Sheet l.

ATTORNEY nu noun runs cm. mums wnsnmsm. u c.

E. A. GREEN. AMUSEMENT RAILWAY.

(Application filed Mar. 6, 1901.)

No. 678,243. Patented July 9, Mil.

(llo Model.) 2 shuns-Sheet 2.

ATTORNEY In: cams PETERS 00., wmmJflm wAsnmc-Tom n. c.

NITED STATES EDWARD A. GREEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TOAMERICAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

AMUSEMENT-RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 678,243, dated July 9,1901.

Application filed March 6, 1901. Serial No. 50,079- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvementin Amusement-Railways, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to amusement-railways; and it consists in asingle rail having suitable supports and which includes in its lengthcertain up and down grades and a Vertical loop to be traversed by a car,all as will be specifically described and claimed herein.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a rail having my improvedlongitudinal conformation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view ofthe rail supporting a car and its appurtenances, and Fig. 3 is adiagrammatic view of the vertical loop.

My amusement-railway comprises a single rail, as A, supported upon atrestle or the like and including in its extent a series of in clined'planes, as seen in the drawings, the functions whereof serve to make upa complete track for a car in its transit under the several powers ofdraft, gravity, and momentum.

Assuming the starting-point of the car, as B, to be at a, said car ishauled up the incline a in the direction of the arrow until it turns theapex a thereof. The means of haulage may be by an endless chain or otherconvenient means of. Thereafter the car is released and by its owngravitation descends the declivity a and as the angle of incline a isapproximately forty-five degrees the accumulated velocity of traverse isconsiderable when the car reaches thebottom a of said incline prior toits entering the loop C, thevelocity attained being, in fact, sufficientto carry the car, with its burden, over and past the first or upwardhalf of said loop, whereafter the force of gravity again operates tocarry the car over and down the second half of the loop to the bottomthereof at d Here again the momentum acquired serves to carry the car upthe curved incline a to the point of stopping and starting, as at a.

The vertical loop C is composed of angles 50 and curvatures which incombined arrangement have the function of permitting the car to traversethe loop smoothly and without the shocks or jars which would accrue froma loop of other conformation, these particular angles and curves havingbeen arrived at after continuous experimental construction and practice.

'The perfected structure of the vertical loop is such that the outwardor radial tendency of the car and its occupants on entering the samewill gradually increase through a portion of the first quadrant (aboutforty-five degrees) and then gradually decrease until at the verticalpoint (one hundred and eighty degrees) it is equal to zero-that is, atthat 6 point the centrifugal force and the force of gravity are equaland opposed, thus insuring the smoothest ride possible under the condi-\tions. To accomplish this, radii of different lengths are used in themanner shown in the diagrammatic view, Fig. 3, the arc of each radiuspassing through a definite number of de-" grees and the length of eachradius being determined by substituting the desired radial force in thegeneral formula for centrifugal force,

taking into consideration the velocity of the car at the differentheights, the radial force caused by the action of gravity at thedifferent angles, and also that this latter force acts in conjunctionwith the centrifugal'force in the first quadrant and is opposed to it inthe second. The second half of the loop is symmetrical with the firsthalf, being produced with the same radii used in reverse order.

In the detail section view, Fig. 2, it will be seen that the car B hascentral tractionwheels, as I), which run upon the rail A, supporting thecar thereby. Corresponding inverted rails E E depend from the ties, asF, and guide-wheels G G, which are yieldingly carried by lowerextensions of the car-body, 9 5 serve to maintain the equipoise of thecar when at rest or running at a low rate of speed. Having described myinvention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

'1. A railway composed of a single line of rail, suitably supported, andarranged IOO throughout its length in the several inclinations andcurves, and in the specific order as named herein, to wit-an upwardincline, a downward incline, avertical loop, and an upward inclineextending from said loop and continuing into the first-named upwardincline. I

2. In an amusement-railway adapted to be traversed by a car under theforces of gravitation and momentum, a continuous tractionrail arrangedin form of a vertical loop, said rail being set at a downwardinclination leading to the loop, thence comprising a vertical loop ofsubstantially ellipsoidal form, and leaving said loop in anupwardly-inclined extension.

8. A traction-rail arranged as a vertical loop in substantiallyellipsoidal form, the first or upward half of the loop being arranged ina curve composed of the arcs of successivelydecreasing radii, and thelatter, or downward half of the loop, being symmetrical with the firsthalf, in reverse order.

4-. In a gravityu-ailway, the combination 0 a track arranged at a pointof its course as a vertical loop in substantially ellipsoidal form, thelowest points of said track being located at opposite sides of avertical plane through the center of the loop, substantially at rightangles to the track.

5. A railway composed of a track suitably supported,and arrangedthroughout its length in the several inclinations and curves, and in thespecific order as named herein, to wit: an upward incline, a downwardincline, a vertical loop and an upward incline extending from said loopand continuing into the firstnamed upward incline.

6. In a gravity-railway, a vertically-disposed loop of variable radii,and inclined tracks leading to and from said loop.

7. In a' gravity-railway, a vertically-disposed loop and inclinesleading to said loop, the lowest point of said inclines being at oneside of a vertical plane through the center of the loop and'atsubstantially right angles to the track.

8. In a gravity-railway, a vertically-disposed loop and inclines leadingto said loop, the lowest point of said inclines being on a plane lowerthan any portion of the track within the loop.

9. In a gravity-railway, a vertically-disposed loop and inclines leadingto and from said loop, the lowest point of the inclines leading from theloop being on a plane lower than any portion of the track within theloop.

10. In a gravity-railway, a vertically-disposed loop aud inclinesleading to and from said loop, the lowest points of said inclines beingon a plane lower than any portion of the track within the loop.

11. In a gravity-railway, a vertically-disposed loop, inclines leadingto and from said loop, the lowest points ofsaid inclines being on aplane lower than any portion of the track within the loop,andupwardly-inclined curved sections leading from said lowermost pointsrespectively into said loop.

12. In a gravity-railway, a continuous track arranged at a point of itscourse as avertical loop and as inclines leading to said loop, thelowest point of said inclines being on one side of a vertical planethrough the center of the loop and at right angles to the track, a caradapted to traverse said track, and safety appliances whereby said caris retained on said track throughout the entire course.

13. In a gravity railway, a vertically-disposed loop coinprisinga seriesof arcs of successively-decreasing radii through the first half thereof,said arcs respectively passing through a definite'number of degreeswhereby centrifugal force and gravity act in conjunction through thefirst quadrant and in opposition through the second.

14. In a gravity-railway, comprising a continuous track including in itsextent and in the order named, an upward incline, a downward incline, anellipsoidal vertical loop, an upwardly inclined curved section leadingfrom said downward section into said loop, an upward incline andadownwardly-inelined curved section leading from said loop into saidlast-mentioned upward incline, said incline leading into saidfirst-mentioned upward incline.

15. A gravity=railway, comprising a continuous track including in itsextent and in the order named, an upward incline, a downward incline, anellipsoidal vertical loop, an upwardly -inclined curved section leadingfrom said downward incline into said loop, an upward incline, adownwardly-inclined curved section leading from said loop into saidlast-mentioned upward incline, said incline leading into saidfirst-mentioned upward incline, a carriage adapted to traverse saidtrack, means whereby said carriage is retained thereon and means forhauling said carriage up said first-mentioned incline.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 14th day of February, 1901.

EDWARD A. GREEN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. LONGHURST, MARY OBRIEN.

